A company says it has developed a polymer roof coating that will keep buildings cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

Buildings consume about a third of the energy and two-thirds of the electricity in the U.S. Roofs are a good place to try to cut those figures. Because traditional black asphalt roofs heat up in summer and strain the air conditioners. White roofs are better. But they don’t retain heat in winter, so furnaces work harder.

Now scientists from the United Environment and Energy company think they have a roof fix, which they presented at a recent meeting of the American Chemical Society.